The government has begun reviewing public opinion surveys to explore the use of the Yongsan Children’s Garden site as a follow-up measure to its the 13th housing supply strategy. While the stated intent is to assess private investment demand and maximize the discovery of available land within the city, concerns remain that this move aims to push forward rental housing supply. Such an approach risks undermining the character of a national park meant to be preserved for a century.
New York’s Central Park and London’s Hyde Park have become core assets that transformed their cities into world-class megacities by safeguarding their roles as "lungs of the city" amid urban expansion and housing shortages. Tokyo’s Ueno Park, with its 150-year history, has established itself as a symbol of urban competitiveness by housing four major cultural facilities, including the Tokyo National Museum and the National Museum of Western Art.
Yongsan is a historic land that returned to Korean hands after ending over 120 years of foreign occupation, beginning with the stationing of Chinese troops in 1882, followed by Japanese military use and U.S. military bases. Since the enactment of the "Special Act on the Development of Yongsan Park" through a cross-party agreement in 2007, successive governments have consistently upheld the principle of creating the nation’s first national symbolic park, Han Guk-eul (CEO), akin to these world-renowned landmarks.
Seoul ranked 12th in KPMG's "Global Cities Index (GCI)" and second in the "Global City Outlook (GCO)," which assesses future growth potential. These two indicators collectively highlight that the competitiveness of a top-tier city lies not in dense apartment forests but in cultural and green infrastructure that allows people to breathe in the heart of the city. Constructing small rental housing units would undermine Seoul’s global brand value.
The effectiveness of the supply method must also be examined. The housing demand sought by actual residents cannot be met solely through rental housing, nor does rental housing stabilize home prices. The primary cause of the shortage lies in structural issues: the deregistration of approximately 400 redevelopment zones has delayed or reduced potential supply for up to 400,000 households.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Seoul Metropolitan City must seek solutions through a direct approach: easing regulations on reconstruction and redevelopment projects and accelerating permitting processes to enable high-density, mixed-use development of aging residential areas. To position Seoul alongside global luxury cities like New York, London, and Tokyo, Yongsan Park—including the Yongsan Children’s Garden—must be nurtured as an ecological and cultural asset for future generations, in line with its original legislative intent.
in OPINION
